Overall, insurance spending is a “drop in the bucket” compared to many federal expenditures. Agricultural aid was eased with higher crop prices after the last farm bill was passed. Support comes from the market.

The current farm bill expires in September 2018.

When it comes to writing a new farm bill, there’s a common belief it happens every five years.

“Not so fast,” Brown says. “Few farm bills are written in exactly five years.” Legislators stick with what they have. That could happen with the present farm bill.

“Overall, there’s support for what we have,” Brown says.

Passage of the last farm bill dragged on for four years. “From 2011 to 2014 the ag committees were exhausted updating their legislation annually before one finally passed,” Brown says.

“It took a lot of baling wire to tie together provisions that gathered votes needed to pass a bill.”

The House and Senate ag committee have held many hearings, Brown says. That increases the chance of something happening quickly, but if delayed until after spring other issues take priority.

A mid-term election year ahead slows all action. However, legislators will look for bills they can agree on so they can show what they have done. The window for a farm bill remains open.